From Feeling Kept at Arm’s Length to Having a Finance Team Behind the Business

Jam-AV is a creative video production business helping clients communicate through film.

Like many owner-managed businesses, its founder wanted to spend his time doing what he was good at – running the business, working with clients and creating films – rather than worrying about whether the finances were being taken care of properly.

As the business developed, that meant needing more than someone to prepare accounts. It needed financial support that could evolve alongside the business and help the owner make the right decisions at the right time.

Before working with CASS, Jay had become increasingly disenchanted with his previous accountant and what he described as an old-fashioned way of working.

More importantly, he felt he was being kept at arm's length from the day-to-day financial running of his own business. The accounts existed, but they weren't giving him the involvement, visibility or support he wanted as a business owner.

After a recommendation from a friend, he approached Paul and CASS to explore a different way of working.

What initially started as a change of accountant developed into a much broader relationship as the business grew and its financial requirements became more complex.

One of the first changes was moving Jam-AV, then operating as a sole trader, onto Xero. This created much greater visibility over the business and allowed CASS to understand what was happening financially without constantly needing information to be manually provided.

As that visibility improved, we identified that moving from sole trader to limited company would make more financial sense from a tax perspective. CASS supported the transition and continued to develop the financial support around the changing needs of the business.

Proactive tax planning meant Jam-AV could understand what its tax position was likely to look like in advance rather than simply finding out when the bill became due.

When VAT registration became necessary, CASS took care of the registration process and now prepares the company's VAT returns. Regular quarterly reviews provide another opportunity to look at the numbers and discuss what they mean for the business.

The relationship now goes considerably further than traditional year-end accounting.

Jam-AV describes CASS as effectively being its finance department. That means the owner can concentrate on running the business, creating films for clients and doing the work where he adds the greatest value, with confidence that the financial side of the business is being taken care of.

Having greater visibility also means financial decisions can be made earlier. Tax can be planned for, VAT is managed and the business has regular opportunities to review its financial position rather than waiting until the end of the year.

For an owner-managed business, that combination of professional financial support and accessibility has removed a significant burden.

Jam-AV has moved from an accounting relationship where the owner felt disconnected from his own finances to having a finance team working alongside him and the business.

The move to Xero created better financial visibility, while the transition to a limited company, proactive tax planning, VAT support and quarterly reviews have provided a much more complete approach to managing the company's finances.

Most importantly, the owner can concentrate on creating films and running the business knowing that the finances are being looked after.

As he explains, “I effectively use CASS as my finance department.”

For us, the Jam-AV story demonstrates why the relationship between an accountant and a business owner shouldn't simply be about producing accounts at the end of the year.

As the business has developed, the support we've provided has developed with it – from moving to Xero and changing the business structure through to VAT, proactive tax planning and regular financial reviews.

The result is that the owner can concentrate on what he does best, while knowing there is a finance team behind him looking after the numbers and helping him make informed decisions.

That's Giving You More Than Numbers.